© The Wichita Eagle
Feb. 12, 1993


Valentine Show Now Annual Event
By Susan L. Rife

When Music Theatre of Wichita put together a Valentine's Day musical celebration in 1992, neither the cast nor the audience knew quite what to expect.

What they got was the musical equivalent of a stir-fry: Take a lot of fresh ingredients (in this case, three local performers, three out-of-towners and three musicians), cook quickly and serve, in the form of "Songs of Love and Laughter." "Before opening, nobody (including the participants) knew exactly how the show was going to turn out, and a lot of our audience members were asking lots of questions, trying to define exactly what kind of show it would be," said Wayne Bryan, MTW's producing director. "After the event, we were actually swamped with letters from people who enjoyed it and thought it should be an annual event.

''So we reserved the theater right then and there, and here we are once again, with three musicians, three local performers, three out-of-town performers and three days to put it together for our three performances."

The second annual Music Theatre Valentine show has switched its focus to mismatched romance, around the theme "Songs of Unlikely Lovers," for three performances over the weekend.

"The juxtapositions might come from differences in social station, in background, in ages, in philosophies," said Bryan. "There will be songs about frustrated romance, as well as deliriously cheerful, optimistic songs."

Bryan, who is one of the performers in "Songs of Unlikely Lovers" as well as the host and writer, said the material has been chosen to capitalize on the strengths and experiences of the actors and musicians.

In addition to Bryan, the cast includes Charleen Ayers, who has starred in many Music Theatre shows including "The Merry Widow," "Tintypes" and "Kismet"; Michael Gruber, who starred as Don Lockwood in MTW's "Singin' in the Rain" last summer and has acted in "Miss Saigon" and "My Favorite Year" on Broadway; Martha Hawley, a newcomer to Music Theatre who has appeared in "Nunsense," "Gypsy," "As You Like It" and "Fiddler on the Roof" in performances around the country; Ann Morrison, a Music Theatre and "Songs of Love and Laughter" veteran; and Ron Raines, who performed in Music Theatre's "Kismet" opposite Ayers and appeared with Karla Burns in the Broadway revival of "Show Boat" in 1983.

Laura Bergquist is conducting the music for the show, which will include bits and pieces from "Kismet," "West Side Story," "Miss Saigon" and "Falsettos." Bergquist will play the piano, accompanied by Gretchen Jones on harp and Tom Fowler on woodwinds.

Music Theatre of Wichita's "Songs of Unlikely Lovers" will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday in the Mary Jane Teall Theatre at Century II. Tickets are $17.50 for evening performances, $12.50 for the matinee; call 265-3107.


main Songs of Unlikely Lovers page